The Whelps of the Wolf

by George P. Marsh

  CHAPTER XXIV

  ON THE CLIFFS

  Marcel was walking on the high river shore above the post with JulieBreton and Fleur. Like a floor below them the surface of the Great Whalemoved without ripple in the still June afternoon. Out over the Bay thesun hung in a veil of haze. Back at the post, even the huskies werequiet, lured into sleep by the softness of the air. It was such a day asJean Marcel had dreamed of more than a year before, in January, back inthe barrens, when powdery snow crystals danced in the air as the liftingsun-dogs turned white wastes of rolling tundra into a shimmering sea. Hewas again with Julie on the cliffs, but there was no joy in his heart.

  "The Lelacs have traded their fur," he said, breaking a long silence;"the hearing will take place soon, now."

  "Yes, I know, you were with Monsieur Gillies and Henri very late lastnight," she replied, watching the antics of an inquisitive Canada jay inan adjacent birch.

  "Yes, we had some work to do. The Lelacs will not like what we have totell them."

  "I knew that you would be able to show the Crees what bad people theseLelacs are."

  "Yes, Julie, we shall prove them liars and thieves; but the stain on thename of Jean Marcel will remain. I cannot deny that Antoine was killed;the Crees will not believe my story."

  "Nonsense, Jean," she burst out, "you must make them believe you!"

  "Julie," he said, ignoring her words, "since my return I have wanted totell you--that I wish you all happiness,"--he swallowed hard at the lumpin his throat,--"I have heard that you leave Whale River soon."

  At the words the girl flushed but turned a level gaze on the man, wholooked at the dim, blue shapes of the White Bear Hills far on thesouthern horizon.

  "You have not heard the truth," she said. "Monsieur Wallace has done methe honor to ask me to marry him, but Monsieur Wallace is still aProtestant."

  The words from Julie's own lips stung Marcel like the lash of a whip,but his face masked his emotion.

  Then she went on:

  "I wanted to talk to you last summer, for you are my dear friend, butyou were here for so short a while and we had but a word when youleft." Then the girl burst out impulsively, "Ah, Jean; don't look thatway! Won't you ever forgive me? I am--so sorry, Jean. But--you are aboy. It could never be that way. Why, you are as a brother."

  Marcel's eyes still rested on the silhouetted hills to the south. Hemade no answer.

  "Won't you forget, Jean, and remain a friend--a brother?"

  He turned his sombre eyes to the girl.

  "Yes, I shall always be your friend--your brother, Julie," he said. "ButI shall always love you--I can't help that. And there is nothing toforgive. I hoped--once--that you might--love Jean Marcel; but now--it isover. God bless you, Julie!"

  As he finished, Julie Breton's eyes were wet. Again Marcel gazed longinto the south but with unseeing eyes. The girl was the first to breakthe silence.

  "Jean," she said, returning to the charges of the Lelacs, "you must notbrood over what the Crees are saying. What matters it that the ignorantIndians, some of whom, if the truth were known, have eaten their ownflesh and blood in starvation camps, do not believe you. For shame! Youare a brave man, Jean Marcel. Show your courage at Whale River as youhave shown it elsewhere."

  Sadly Marcel shook his head. "They will speak of me now, from FortGeorge to Mistassini, as the man who killed his partners." And in spiteof Julie Breton's words of cheer he refused to see his case in any otherlight.

  They had turned and were approaching the post when the practised eye ofMarcel caught the far flash of paddles toward the river mouth. For aspace he watched the rhythmic gleams of light from dripping bladesleaving the water in unison, which alone marked the approaching canoe onthe flat river. Then he said:

  "There are four or six paddles. It must be a big Company boat from FortGeorge. I wonder what they come for during the trade."

  As Jean and Julie Breton entered the post clearing the great red flag ofthe Company, carrying the white letters H. B. C., was broken out at theflagpole in honor of the approaching visitors. The canoe, now but ashort way below the post, was receiving the undivided attention ofEsquimos, Crees and howling huskies crowding the shore. The boat was nota freighter for she rode high. No one but an officer of the Companytravelled light with six paddles. It was an event at Whale River, andIndians and white men awaited the arrival of the big Peterborough withunconcealed interest.

  "It must be Inspector Wallace," said Jean.

  With a face radiant with joy in the unexpected arrival of Wallace, JulieBreton hastened to the high shore, while Marcel turned slowly back tothe Mission stockade where his dog awaited him at the gate.

  As the canoe neared the beach the swart _voyageurs_, conscious of theirCree and Esquimo audience, put on a brave burst of speed. At each lungeof the narrow Cree blades, swung in unison with a straight arm, thecraft buried its nose, pushing out a wide ripple. On they came spurredby the shouts from the shore, then at the order of the man in the bow,the crew raised their paddles and bow and stern men deftly swung theboat in to the Whale River landing amid the cheers of the Indians.

  "How ar' yuh, Gillies?" said Wallace, stepping from the canoe; and,looking past the factor to a woman's figure on the high shore, waved hiscap.

  "Well, well, Mr. Wallace; we hardly expected to see you at Whale Riverso early," answered Gillies, drily, smiling at the eagerness of Wallace."Anything happened to the steamer?"

  "Oh, no! The steamer is all right. She'll be here on time. I thought I'drun up the coast during the trade this year."

  Gillies winked surreptitiously at McCain. It was most peculiar for theInspector of the East Coast to arrive before the accounts of the springtrade were made up.

  "How has the famine affected the fur with you, Gillies?" asked Wallace,as they proceeded up the cliff trail to the post clearing. "The FortGeorge and East Main people were hit pretty hard, a number of familieswiped out."

  "Yes, I expected as much," said Gillies. "A few of our people werestarved out or died of disease. Nine, all told, have been reported, fourof them old and feeble. It was a tough winter with both the rabbits andthe caribou gone; we have done only fairly well with the trade,considering."

  "What's this I hear about a murder by one of your Frenchmen?" Wallacesuddenly demanded. "We met a canoe at the mouth of the river and heardthat the bodies of two half-breeds who had met foul play were found thisspring and that you have the third man here now?"

  "That's pure Indian talk, Mr. Wallace," Gillies protested forcibly. "Iwill give you the details later. A half-breed killed one of his partnersand attempted to kill the other, Jean Marcel, the son of Andre Marcel;you remember Andre, our old head man. You saw Jean here last summer. Heis one of our best men. In fact, I'm going to take him on here at thepost, although he's only a boy. He's too valuable to keep in the bush."

  "Oh, yes! I remember him; friend of Father Breton. But we've got to puta stop to this promiscuous murder, Gillies. There's too much of thisthing on the Bay, this killing and desertion in famine years, and no onepunished for lack of evidence."

  "But this was no murder, Mr. Wallace," Gillies answered hotly. "You'llhear the story to-night from Marcel's lips, if you like. We have somepretty strong evidence against his accusers, also. This is a talestarted by the relatives of one of the men to cover their own thieving."

  "Well, Gillies, your man may be innocent, but I want to catch one ofthese hunters who come into the posts with a tale of starvation asexcuse for the disappearance of their partners or family. When the grubgoes they desert, or do away with their people, and get off on their ownstory. I'd like to get some evidence against one of them. The governmenthas sent pretty stiff orders to Moose for us to investigate these cases,and where we have proof, send the accused 'outside' for trial."

  "When you've talked to him, Mr. Wallace, I think you'll agree that hetells a straight story and that these Lelacs are lying."

  "I hope so," answered Wallace, and started for the Mission, where JulieBreton awaited hi
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